Luke Bryan to Return for Season 3 of ABC’s ‘American Idol’

Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are all officially on deck to return as judges for the third season on NBC -- and 18th season overall -- of American Idol, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The announcement comes after extended negotiations for all three celebrity judges. Additionally, radio personality and DJ Bobby Bones has signed on to the Idol team as an in-house mentor.

In May, Bryan said that while nothing official had yet been decided, he felt good about the chances that he, Richie and Perry would all ultimately return to the show. "All things feel positive that me, Lionel and Katy will be back," the singer said at the time. "We're doing the business of the business."

At that time, the Hollywood Reporter reports, offers had been extended to all three judges for a return for Season 3, but no deals yet had been struck. Now, contracts have been signed, but details on exactly how much the judges will be making for their participation are not available. According to the Wall Street Journal,Bryan earned $12 million for his role in the show's first season on ABC in 2018.

Meanwhile, host Ryan Seacrest has yet to officially sign on once more for the 2020 season of Idol. Per the Hollywood Reporter, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke explained that negotiations with Seacrest are still unfolding.

"I do not believe he will be missing," Burke went on to say. "We're in ongoing conversations with Ryan about returning, and I'm hopeful that he will."

The Season 2 finale of Idol aired in May, and included performances from Bryan as well as from former Idol winner Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay,Jon Pardi, Kane Brown and a number of non-country artists. American Idol Season 3 is expected to begin in Spring 2020, with auditions currently taking place.